Different types of libraries have evolved in response to different kinds of problems. The public library, the special library, and the research library, for example, all differ in this regard. Nevertheless, all libraries are concerned in one way or another with acquiring, organizing, and providing effective access to recorded information. It might seem obvious that, to understand how to improve libraries, one should study how people seek and use information. Indeed, much research is so directed.

Nature and functions of library science are categorically portrayed in this book. The authentic information is organised in seven chapters namely-library science, library functions; library records; information retrieval services; online catalogs; library automation; and multi media libraries etc.

Students and teachers of library and information science besides the library professionals will be immensely benefited by the contents of this book.

The ever-increasing cost of books and publications coupled with the exponential growth in the publishing of books and other reading material, has been the immediate factor in compelling libraries to enter into arrangements for resource sharing. Other factors like increasing needs of the user, easy accessibility of reprographic facilities to the libraries, and the general awareness among the public of the need to share the resources are the other factors which help resource sharing in an indirect manner.

The networking of libraries is one way achieving maximum results with minimum input.

This book contains highly rich and succinct information organized in five chapters viz., Library networking; LAN-based software; Multimedia and library circulation systems; Information technology; Networking and future of libraries etc.

As more libraries continue to automate various parts of their technical processing operations, the issues pertaining to the selection and use of systems specific to those operations are crucial. At a broader level, there is general consensus about what a cataloguing, acquisitions, serials control, or circulation systems should do as fare as function is concerned. The development of online public-access catalogues (OPACs) has not reached a comparable stage of maturity. Online catalogues can be looked at from several perspectives. Many issues pertain to their design and use in libraries, ranging from the number of terminals required to service a given number of users, to the ergonomics of terminal placement, to the types and amount of information to be included in a catalog, as well as its arrangement on a screen display.

Online catalogs; Traditional catalog; OPAC research; OPAC and user interaction; DDC classification; LCC classification; Okapi research projects; Access to periodical literature; Performance and usage data etc.. are the major themes discussed in this book.

Preservation is not an antiquarian exercise for keeping objects from the past simply because they are old. It is a managerial tool for making information available to users. What is to be preserved? For how long is it to be preserved? By what means is it to be preserved? The answers to these three questions provide the foundations upon which a preservation policy can be built.

This book is designed to gather succinct information on some vital issues pertaining to the topic. Major issues given elaborate treatment are: Preservation policies; Serials format; Origin of serials; Collection management; Periodicals listing; Study of periodical use; Journal ranking studies; Classification; Serials processing etc.